Lychee Associated Encephalopathy: Myth or Reality?

Once again, lychee fruit is flashing in the Indian news headlines after being criticized for association with fatal encephalopathy in Muzaffarpur region of Bihar. More than a 100 children in the district have lost their lives to this mysterious deadly outbreak. The research work behind the etiopathology of this lethal disease is minimal. There is a constant need of reporting these kind of unusual breakouts and analysing the data on basis of clinical and laboratory records. The health professionals will have to focus the target population, using preventive and curative measures, but this could be done only if substantial research is available for meta-analysis to reach a decision that could effectively and satisfactorily control this fatal and life-threatening public health issue.